How to Properly Prepare Drones for Short-Term Storage

How to Properly Prepare Drones for Short-Term Storage

If you are storing electronics, proceed cautiously, whether for long-term or short-term storage. You cannot simply place a drone in your garage or storage unit and leave it unattended. Many undesirable outcomes can occur if you do this, depending on your location, the time of year, and the length of your leave. If you want to store your drone safely, we explain how to properly prepare it for short-term storage.

Storing a drone properly is crucial for maintaining battery health and ensuring the sensitive electronics and motors remain functional for your next flight. Whether you are putting it away for a few weeks or several months, follow these steps to protect your gear.

Conduct a Visual Inspection

Before storing your drone, whether for a day or indefinitely, carefully inspect it. Check that everything is in working order. If you leave your drone with someone else, you should take photos to document that nothing happened while it was out of your possession. This step is critical, especially if you plan to store your drone after flying in adverse weather. Therefore, to make sure that your drone is okay for storage, you should:

1. Examine the outside shell for any cracks.
2. Look for indications of deterioration.
3. Examine the gimbal for damage or debris.
4. Check the camera lens for dust and grime.
5. Look at the rotors, propellers, and battery.

If you spot any issues, it’s generally a good idea to fix them before you store your drone. Nothing is more infuriating than taking your drone out of storage and preparing for a flight only to discover that it no longer works, or even worse, crashing it mid-flight because something went wrong.

Before storing your drone, ensure it is in good working condition.

Thoroughly Clean Your Drone

Thoroughly cleaning drones is one of the most crucial steps in preparing them for short-term storage. Cleaning your drone entails removing obvious debris from the shell, gimbal, and camera, but it also extends beyond that. It is best to disassemble your drone periodically to remove accumulated dust and debris. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of doing this, a blower brush or canned air may help remove dust from hard-to-reach areas, such as the gimbal crevices or propeller fittings. Use a pipe cleaner or a soft-bristled brush to gently remove dust from cracks and crevices. Some drones come with these tools when you order them. After you clean your drone, wipe its body with a gentle microfiber cloth.

You may also need to clean and grease the motors on certain drones. If you’re unsure whether your drone needs greasing, you can search online or refer to your user manual for guidance. It is good practice to do this if you plan to store your drones for short periods. However, if you plan to store it for an extended period, all these steps may be necessary.

Remove SD Cards: Take out your microSD cards to organize your footage and ensure no data is lost if the card or slot experiences issues.

Battery Maintenance (Critical)

The lithium-polymer (LiPo) or Intelligent Flight Batteries used in drones are sensitive to charge levels during storage.

• Discharge to Storage Level: Never store batteries fully charged or completely depleted. Aim for 40% to 60% charge. Most “intelligent” batteries will auto-discharge to this level after a few days, but it is safer to do it manually.

• Remove from Device: Always remove the battery from the drone and the remote controller to prevent “parasitic draw,” which can slowly drain the battery to a dead state.

• Temperature Control: Store batteries in a cool, dry place (room temperature). Avoid garages or trunks where temperatures can fluctuate wildly.

Lithium-ion batteries are notorious for catching fire. As a result, it is advisable to drain your drone’s battery before storing it. First, inspect the batteries for any irregularities. A healthy battery that has not been overheated and has no punctures or puffs should be safe to store. If the batteries are in good condition, the next step is to discharge them to approximately 50% of their power. Many manufacturers believe that having a battery at half capacity benefits its longevity. That is why, when you buy a new drone or any other device, the battery is typically around 50% charged when you first turn it on. To keep your battery from deteriorating, follow the manufacturer’s discharge instructions.

To prevent your battery from deteriorating, store it at about half its capacity.

Carefully Pack Your Drone

When storing your drone, ensure all moving components are immobilized. You don’t want your drone to move at all. You can use a strap to keep the gimbal tight. Doing so will prevent damage to the gimbal and camera if it falls into storage. Furthermore, remove any non-integrated cameras from the gimbal before storing the drone. Taking the drone’s blades off is also a good idea. Doing this would help because the blades make packing your drone more difficult. To ensure your drone is as tightly packed as possible and avoid damaging the propellers, you must remove them.

Choose a Safe Space to Store Your Drone

Your work is not yet complete, even after you have taken the necessary steps to prepare drones for short-term storage. You will also need to find a secure location to keep it. Batteries and other electrical components in the drone and controller can suffer irreparable damage in a humid environment. Moisture in the air may cause corrosion of metal components and mildew on plastic parts or packing materials. Therefore, keep your drone in a dry area to prevent moisture from accumulating. When packing and preparing drones for short-term storage, consider adding silica gel to the packaging to absorb ambient moisture. When storing your drone, keep it in a moisture-free environment.

Note: If you are storing the drone for more than three months, set a calendar reminder to check the battery levels. LiPo batteries naturally lose charge over time, and if they drop to 0%, they may “hibernate” permanently and become unusable.

Conclusion

Whether you are preparing your drones for short-term storage because you are going out of town and want to keep them secure while you are away, or you are making a long-distance move and want to ensure your drones are in a safe place for the duration, you now know what to do. Whether you are moving or looking for a secure storage solution, experts are the best resource. Only by working with them can you keep your possessions safe.

That said, now that we’ve covered how to properly prepare drones for short-term storage, you can pack your drone away with confidence. Drones are expensive gadgets, and it would be irresponsible not to take every precaution when storing them. Therefore, ensure you understand everything we’ve discussed today before storing your drone.